A Mystery

Things are good, really good.  This year's beginning is such a contrast to last year when I felt like I was physically falling apart.  My diet is going well, and I am finding recipes I enjoy.  I have lost 20 pounds, and while I wasn't unhappy with my weight before, I am now at a healthier weight.  In fact, it is rather funny to be watching my diet so that I don't lose too much weight instead watching it to avoid gaining too much.  

There is a mystery concerning my diet, however.  Quite accidentally, when I was experiencing some very uncomfortable abdominal pain in reaction to some food, I discovered that coconut milk eases my reactions.  Within an hour the pain is gone, my face clears, and things are mostly back to normal.  Coconut milk is one of the recent wonder foods, and I am very skeptical of all the claims to its "amazing" properties.  Even so, I would very much like to know what is going on in my body that coconut milk seems to help resolve.  That may be a mystery I will never solve, but whatever may be happening, making coconut milk a regular part of my daily diet is letting me handle my supplements well, allowing me to add just a bit of brown rice back into my diet, and given me a resource should something slip past my guard when eating out.  It doesn't resolve things 100%, but it makes getting through the reaction much less stressful.  So, three cheers to coconut milk!

A Purpose

Every quilt I make has a purpose.  It may be art for my home, something comforting for someone dealing with illness, or a gift to celebrate a special occasion.  This next quilt I am starting has a very special destiny.  It is intended to be worn out with love.  

We are anticipating the arrival of our very first grandchild this coming May, and no grandchild of mine should be without the warmth of one of his Oma's quilts.  Because this quilt is to see nap times, cuddling up to read times, and playing on the floor times, I wanted to keep the design simple, but interesting.  Inspiration came from a pattern called O My Stars that I saw in a recent catalog from Connecting Threads.   http://www.connectingthreads.com/Quilting.cfm  

It is basically a simple nine patch with a pieced sashing that has stars in the corners to add some interest.  There is lots of room for some fun quilting designs, too.  I am calling it Starlight for the present, but don't know if that will be its final title.

Starry-eyed Grandma (an very appropriate name considering my new project :-)  ) has languished a bit with all the holiday activity, and since this new project has a deadline, will only see progress here and there for a while.  I have gotten about half of the blocks made, though.

A new project means some fun fabric shopping ahead.  I will be sure to post a picture of my finds.  Until then, though it may be cold outside, may your hearts be filled with warmth.

Rhythms

Well, there is life after holidays. :-)  This Christmas was extra stressful with all the food issues.  It was the first major holiday since this journey began, so my preparations were a little on the rough side.  I managed to keep myself covered meal wise, only had minor angst with missing the usual holiday goodies, but in all the gathering together of food for me, I forgot several things that I was bringing for the family meals.  This meant extra runs to the store and last minute putting together of things to fill in the gaps.  And this even with lists to remind me what to take.  In all the flurry to get away, I was remiss in checking all the lists.  My dear husband promised to help me double check things next year, and I should have a better handle on preparing for my own meals, so hopefully things will go more smoothly.

If I were to pick something in nature that best describes my personality, it would be the seasons.  I love rhythm and routine.  While some find that limiting, I find it freeing.  With my days laid out in a pattern, I know I will most likely get my responsibilities done and have time for my creative work.  My mind is free to think on other things rather than keeping up with to-dos, or trying to figure out the next meal.  

Trying to keep a good balance with my foods requires that I take that planning a little further.  I spent this past week creating a month's worth of meals--certain meals for certain days with a little flexibility built in as need requires.  Cooking is not a creative endeavor for me, so I don't want to spend a lot of mental energy in the planning.  If I have a good variety, then I am content.  

With having the meals more strictly lined out, I can also get a better handle on purchasing my meat and produce, which I am trying to do through our local farmers' market as much as I can.  This will help both with cost and storage.  And if I run across new recipes, then I can create a new week to add on to what I already have.

The day's routine has settled into the following:

Breakfast


Tea


Lunch


Smoothie/juice


Supper


The tea and juice help tide me over between meals, and I am feeling really well.

Making Progress

There are many times these days that I feel like I am thinking way too much about food.  Before my big diet change, if there were no leftovers for lunch--no problem.  I would just have some bread, cheese, and fruit or maybe do a "breakfast" meal with an egg since I ate cereal for breakfast during the week.  Now, if there are no leftovers that means I have to cook something, and most of what I can fix isn't quick.  The solution?  The Plan!

My husband's work schedule is such that I may need to fix anywhere from two to four servings in order to have lunch leftovers.  By planning which meal will provide for which lunch, I can make sure I have enough but not too much.  The specific meals are then written on the big calendar.

If some of my recipes make extra, I divide the leftovers into portions and put them in the freezer, because no matter how good "The Plan" is, things don't always go as anticipated.  Even so, since these extra leftovers are frozen, I need to allow time for thawing if I need them.

All the new vegetable recipes require some reorganizing of my recipe box.  I am going to divide out the main dishes as well according to the meat used.   My desserts will even have their own little section, too.  (Welcome back, chocolate!)

Slowly, but surely, I am getting recipes written on cards so they are easier to manage.  We can at least use part of the breakfast table now.  :-)

Thinking of You, Charlie Brown

And you as well, Mr. Willowby.

Last year we didn't put up a Christmas tree.  We weren't hosting our Christmas gathering, and frankly holidays are always a challenge for me--out of the routine, you know.  So we hung the Christmas quilts and set up the nativity, but dragging the parts for the tree from the attic just wasn't appealing.  What I missed though was the ornaments.  I searched on line for a simple metal ornament holder, but couldn't find anything that I liked or that was a price I was willing to pay. 

Now that the holidays have come around again, we decided to go with a very small 3' tree that fits quite nicely on a plant stand I have in our living room.  It only needs one strand of lights that we will leave on it when we put it away.  So we have a "little" extra Christmas cheer this year.

 Merry Christmas to all!

Dressing Up

Everything is from scratch these days, so I am on the recipe hunt.  Homemade salad dressings were not something I gave much thought to before, but with salads being a several times a week menu item, it was a subject not to be ignored.  Here is one I adapted that I very much enjoy.  My favorite way to use it is on a spinach salad topped with dried apple, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.  (On the spices, I use what I would call a good sprinkle, so adjust according to taste.)

Maple-mustard Dressing

1/4 cup oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon mustard
Dash of salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder

A Well-stocked "Pantry"

This past Tuesday a fellow quilter and I counted to see how many quilts we had in what I call our "quilt pantry".  When we started focusing on the UFO tubs (unfinished objects) that is what I envisioned--a well-stocked pantry of quilts ready for when the need arises.  Counting two that went to new homes on Tuesday, we had 13 quilts in the cabinet.  When I started coming (two years ago come spring), we had maybe one or two.  How I have enjoyed working with these ladies, and am so pleased to see all the creativity that has produced some very lovely quilts!

Here are some pictures a quilt done by one of our "new to quilting" ladies.  She started a new job a few weeks ago and can no longer meet with us, so I put the binding on the quilt for her.

And here is a picture of my next challenge.  One of the ladies ran across these blocks in a UFO tub, and delegated them to me to put together.  Hmmm.  I think that is a complement. 

As you can see, the blocks are all different sizes.  I think this is the general layout I will use, and now need to figure out how to fill in the spaces between the blocks.  The colors will be fun to work with, and it has the potential of being a really cute quilt.  Bring on the graft paper!